Registering device for use in making printing plates



March 22, 1938. 2,111,914-

REGISTERING DEVICE FOR USE IN MAKING PRINTING PLATES C. E. KOHLBERGER 5Sheets-Sheet 1 a A INVENTOR 722 v ATTORNEYS Filed May 3, 1955 March 22,1938 c EK HLBERGER 2,111,914

REGISTERING DEVICE FOR USE IN MAKING PRINTING PLATES Filed May- 5, 19353 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

MAJ!

ATTORNEYS.

Mar h 22, 1938. -c, E. KOHLBE GER 2 111,914

Patented Mar. 22, 1938 I p I UNITED STATES PATENT o FlcF.

Racism-mine DEVICE FOR USE IN MAK- mo. rnnv'rme PLATES Charles E.Kohlllerger, Garden City, N. Y., as-

signor to Hearst Enterprises. Incorporated, New York, N. Y., acorporation ot New York Application May a, 1935. serial n 19,661 2Claims. (01. 101-4014) My invention relates to a new and improved Fig.fiillustrateshow aplurality of metal plates, registering device for usein making printing which illustrate different subjects and which mayplates, and to a new and improved method for have been made at differentplaces, canbe located securingproper registration, in the preparation inproper registration.

'5 of printing plates. Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 1--1 of 5One of the objects of my invention is to pro- Fig. 6- vide a universaldevice which can be rapidly and F 8 s a p p View Of a mat w c hasaccurately used in the preparation of stereotype been prepared by t euse Of the pp tus llusprinting plates and electrotype printing plates,trated in Fig. 10. w for use in printing newspapers, books and the like.Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 99 of 10 Another object of myinvention is to provide a Fig. 8. device and a methodwhereby thepreparation of g- 10 s a sectional V w illustrating ow a proofs will befacilitated. mat is prepared with the use of a pan which has Anotherobject of my invention is to provide a been modified according to y i vemethod and a device whereby proof-plates which HeIetOfOIe, d n p p gprinting plates,

illustrate difierent subjects can be properly 'asand o particularlystereotype p -p sembled in proper'registration, in order to make it hasn common pr c t 'm k a p a single metal stereotype plate or/the likewhich rap ativ f th matt r t be r p du d, shall correspond to saidproof-plates. Said metal and id at was ma on t-p a l 2 plate may be astereotype plate or an electrotype material- Seid negative s placed 119a sheet- 20 plate,.or a gravure or rotogravure plate. of ri d and tr nsprent plate l s Light Wa Another object of my invention is to providepassed t g seidhegetive and h oug the printing plates for multi-colorprintin whereby glass. and e t a s te light was allowed 9 the variousplates can be broughfl in) exact fall upon the light-sensitive surfaceof 8. metal registration for each color, and in every set. plate- Themetal plate was then developed and 25 Other objects of my invention willbe set forth c us p oducin a proo -p a e, upon a flat in the followingdescription and drawings which sheet of metal. v illustrate preferredembodiments thereof, it being TWO more Of these r f-pl es Were thenunderstood that the above statements of the used for making a Proof uponsingle sheet of objects of my inyention are intended to generallyCelluloid 01' other light-permeable material. and 30 explain the same tt limiting it in any in performing this operation, it was necessary to"manner U adjust the two metal proof plates, so thattheir 1 top plan w fa plate which is proofs upon the single sheet of Celluloid were in madeof transparent gla'ss, or other suitabl'e transpropel registration oneof the metal p parent; and preferably rigid material, m plate 7 plateswas then riveted or otherwise connected to 5 having certain blackmarkings formed thereon. a relatively large metal base plate- The otherFig 2- a sectional View on the line 2 of proof-plate or proof-plateswere then placed on v Fig. 1. l top of-the metal base plate.

- Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the plate shown in The proof of theCelluloid was placed above 40 Fig. lfafter said plate has been assembledwith these metal P -P tes, and the loose metal 40 one- 01 morephotographic negatives, am 'neg a' proof-plates were then adjusteduntilthey were tives having been made on light-permeable man W registrationwith the'fixed metal baseterial such as celluloid or the like. T et D pes were then Fig. 4 shows a. metal plate which has been v d 0 0therwiseconnected tothe large metal made with the use of the device illustratedin ba t After h us oof-plates had Fig. 3.' Said metal plate isillustrated as being. u e n pr p rly assembled and riveted to :3.located upon the bed-plate of a proof-press. l g metal s -Pl te, themetal base-pla e was i Fig 5 illustrate th lat h w i Fig, 4, placed'ina'pan anda mat was made in the usual after said plate has been trimmed.Said trimmed manner m the metal P -p atesplate is illustrated as'belnlocated in the pan A l these ti n quired considerable 50 which is usedfor making a; negative impression t e and great accuracy and this was pcularof said plate, in a mat madeof flong or the like. lydisadvantageous for newspaper work. a Since the plate shown in Fig.5 isa negative, the As' shown in Fig. 1, I provide a sheet of rigid,negative impression madefrom said plate is aplate glass l, which istransparent. This sheet positive. I has lines 2 and markings 3 and 3aetched 55 therein, and these etched lines and markings are then filledwith opaque material, such as a suitable black composition or the like.The lines 2 are arranged so as-to define panels A and B, whichcorrespond to the respective plates which art to be made.

In Fig. 1 I have illustrated two such panels, but the sheet of glasscould have any desired number of such panels.

Photographic negatives of the subjects to be reproduced are now preparedand located in the panels A and B. This is illustrated in Fig. 3, whichconventionally illustrates one subject by the reference numeral 4, andanother subject by the reference letter C. The negatives 4 and C areprepared upon Celluloid or other light-permeable material. If desiredthe panel A could contain negatives corresponding to two or moresubjects, and this could also be done with the panel B.

The photographic negatives 4 and 'C are squeegeed into position so thatthey remain planar and they adhere firmly to the top of the plate glassI. The device shown in Fig. 3 is now placed on top of a sheet of metal,having a lightsensitive surface of the well known type. Thislight-sensitive surface is exposed by means of transmitted light whichis sent through the assembly illustrated in Fig. 3.

The exposed metal plate is then developed and etched in the usualmanner.

As shown in 4, this results in a metal plate In, having raised portionsat 4 and at C and having depressed lines 2a, and also having recessed ordepressed markings 3b and 3c. The depressed lines 2a in the metal plateIn correspond to the opaque lines 2 of Fig. 1, and the depressedmarkings 3b and 3c of the metal plate l0 correspond to the opaquemarkings 3 and 3a which are shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in Fig. 4, the metal plate It) is located upon'the bed plate llof a proof-press. For this purpose holes may be formed in the metalplate III at the points I2 and i 4, which correspond to some of themarkings 3a which are illustrated in Fig. 1. Said holes may-be formed atany number of desired points of the metal plate Ill, which correspond tothe points 3a of Fig. 1.

The bed plate II is provided with upstanding pins P which enter theopenings formed at said points l2 and H. The number and the position ofthe registering holes which are formed in the metal plate l0, dependupon the number and position of the pins P in the bed plate I I. Thesepins P can be integral with the bed plate II, or they may removablyenter suitable sockets in the bed plate II.

The proof press which has the bed plate H,

can be used formaking a paper proof ,of the subjects in order todetermine whether the metal plate It! has been prepared properly.

After a proof has been pulled, the metal plate fl! is trimmed, asillustrated in Fig. 5, and said metal plate I 0 is then placed withinthe us al pan l5. Said pan I5 is provided with pins a, whichenter theperforations which have been formed at the points l2 and I4 of the metalplate It. The pan l5 may have any desired number of said pins Pa,corresponding to some oi to all face of said metal plate III in theusual manner. This sheet of fiong is then subjected to pressure by theram R of the usual hydraulic press, so that a single mat can be madewhich corresponds to a plurality of subjects.

As previously stated, this fiong can correspond to two or more differentsubjects.

The lower part of Fig. 6 illustrates the lower portion of the platewhich is shown in Fig. 5. That is, Fig. 6 illustrates the assembly ofmetal proof-plates, which may have been made at different times and indifferent localities.

It may be assumed that the plate which corresponds to the subject Lwhich is shown in the upper part ofFig. 6 has been made at a place whichis different from the place of manufacture of the plate whichcorresponds to the subject C in Fig. 6. The plate corresponding tosubject L has the same dimensions as the plate corresponding to subjectC, and the plate corresponding to subject L has been made by the methodpreviously specified. These plates are indicated by the referenceletters Illa. and lb;

The separate plates illustrated in Fig. 6 are provided with perforationsat the points I2 and I4, and by means of these perforations and the pinsPa which have been previously mentioned,

the plates illustrated in Fig. 6 can be automatically and accuratelyassembled in a pan.

Fig. 8 illustrates a single mat which has been made with the use of thetwo plates illustrated in Fig. 6. The mat which is illustrated in Fig. 8can be used in the ordinary stereotype casting machine, in order topreparea stereotype plate which corresponds to the subjects C and L,which are illustrated in Fig. 6.

The invention is particularly useful in multicolor printing, since theseries of plates which are required for multi-color printing can beregistered with great accuracy, in making the necessary mat.

I do not wish to be limited to the use of paneldefining and guidedepressions in the metal plate, as I can use panel-defining or guidemeans of any suitable type. Said panel-defining or guide means may be inrelief or they may consist of surface markings.

I have shown the use of negatives for photographically printing upon thelight-sensitive surface of a metal plate and simultaneouslyphotographically printing guide indicia upon saidlight-sensitive-surface. If however, the photographic printing of apositive is desirable for any purp0se,I wish to include the use of apositive, as well as the use of a negative.

, Whenever I refer to a transparent member I, I wish to include the useof any suitable lightpermeable material, as absolute transparency maynot be necessary under certain circumstances.

It is not necessary in all cases, that the panels A and B should havethe same dimensions and the same area, although this is preferable.

I have shown preferred embodiments of my invention, but it is clear thatnumerous changes and omissions can be made without departing from itsspirit.

I claim:

1. A method of making a stereotype plate which consists in mounting aplurality of lightpermeable negatives on a rigid transparent supporthaving opaque markings which define sep.-- arated areas of said support,said negatives being mounted in said areas and fitting substantially insaid areas, said support also having additional 76 printing theassembled negatives and the opaque markings of said support bytransmitted light on the sensitized surface 01 a metal plate, developingand etching said metal plate, trimming the metal plate at its edgesalong lines which are substantially parallel to the edges of said areasand which are defined by the representations of said markings on themetal plate, forming perforations in said metal plate corresponding toat least some of the photographs of said markings on the metal plate andspaced from the representations of said negatives on said metal plate,said perforations being formed substantially at the edges of said areas,locating said perforated metal plate in a pan which has pins fixedthereto and which have pins which enter said openings, and pressing aduplicate of the etched surface of said metal plate in flong, and usingthe fiong to cast a stereotype plate.

2. In the art of making a stereotype plate which correspondsto aplurality of subjects, those steps which consist in'mountinglight-permeable negatives of said subject on transparent rigid mountswhich have opaque markings which define respective areas on said mounts,the negatives being respectively located in said areas and fittingsubstantially therein, the respective areas on said mounts beingidentical, each said mount also having additional markings which arespaced from the edges of said areas and which are located identicallyrelative to the edges of the respective areas, photographically printingthe assembled negatives and their respective mounts on the surfaces ofsensitized metal plates, de-

veloping and etching said metal plates, trimming said metal plates alonglines which are defined by the representations of said markings on saidmetal plates, said lines being spaced from the edges of the respectiveareas, perforating said metal plates at points corresponding to some ofsaid additional markings, assembling said perforated metal plates in apan which has pins fixed thereto and which enter the openings of therespective plates, and pressing a duplicate of .the etched surfaces ofsaid assembled metal plates in fiong, and using the fiong to cast astereotype plate.

CHARLES E. KOHLBERGER.

